The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015, are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 23, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

With big shoes to fill, Hillerman does her best to copy the style of her father Tony's beloved series (The Shape Shifter, 2006, etc.), maintaining the integrity of Navajo culture throughout. Fans will spot the guilty party a mile off.
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"With big shoes to fill, Hillerman does her best to copy the style of her father Tony's beloved series (The Shape Shifter, 2006, etc.), maintaining the integrity of Navajo culture throughout. Fans will spot the guilty party a mile off."

A daughter takes on her famous father's legacy in resuming a series focused on Navajo culture.
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After an explosive showdown in Colorado among the CIA, Eve Duncan's loved ones and a furious Jim Doane, Eve is Doane's captive again, but the stakes are higher than anyone imagined, and getting Eve to safety is shadowed by an even deadlier threat.
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Pierce herself has teeming armies of fans, guaranteeing that this routine, cozily predictable outing will be a huge seller. (map, glossary) (Fantasy. 10-14)Read full book review >

"Pierce herself has teeming armies of fans, guaranteeing that this routine, cozily predictable outing will be a huge seller. (map, glossary) (Fantasy. 10-14)"

Pierce continues to fill gaps in her Circle of Magic sequence—here sending three of her mages eastward to defend the (Tibet-ish) land of Gyongxe against an invasion from (China-esque) Yanjing.
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A fine choice for young readers on a cold winter night, especially when enjoyed with a cup of hot chocolate in front of a fire like the one Ladybug Girl, Bingo and her brother curl up in front of. (Picture book. 3-8)Read full book review >

"A fine choice for young readers on a cold winter night, especially when enjoyed with a cup of hot chocolate in front of a fire like the one Ladybug Girl, Bingo and her brother curl up in front of. (Picture book. 3-8)"

In the latest adventure in the popular Ladybug Girl series, Lulu and her basset hound, Bingo, enjoy a day of play outside in freshly fallen snow.
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"Among the plethora of brilliant accounts of this period, this is one of the best."

Does the world need another book on that dismal year? Absolutely, if it's by Hastings (Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945, 2011, etc.). After many accounts of World War II, the veteran military historian tries his hand, with splendid results.
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After delivering an entertaining account of his not-terribly-arduous youth and progression up the ladder of scientific academia, Dawkins ends with the publication of The Selfish Gene, but most readers will eagerly anticipate a concluding volume.
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"After delivering an entertaining account of his not-terribly-arduous youth and progression up the ladder of scientific academia, Dawkins ends with the publication of The Selfish Gene, but most readers will eagerly anticipate a concluding volume."

Dawkins (b. 1941), having written best-sellers on his favorite subjects including evolutionary biology (The Selfish Gene, 1976) and atheism (The God Delusion, 2006), turns to the traditional autobiography.
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Over the last few decades, Americans have turned college admissions into a terrifying and occasionally devastating process, preceded by test prep, tutors, all sorts of stratagems, all kinds of rankings, and a conviction among too many young people that their futures will be determined and their worth established by which schools say yes and which say no. In Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni explains why, giving students and their parents a new perspective on this brutal, deeply flawed competition and a path out of the anxiety that it provokes. “Written in a lively style but carrying a wallop, this is a book that family and educators cannot afford to overlook as they try to navigate the treacherous waters of college admissions,” our reviewer writes.
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